Tag: Websites

Just when you thought the development of new marketing techniques have plateaued, you come across a new and quite genius approach called Microsites. These little websites have become marketing powerhouses and for very good reasons.

Microsites are marketing tools used by some businesses to promote individual products, services, events, competitions, or entire marketing campaigns. Microsites are typically made up of one or more branded web pages with their own web addresses/URLs, but that link back to the host business’s main website.

Many well-known brands such as Amazon, Spotify, Nike, BMW, and Red Bull are known to use Microsites very effectively in certain marketing campaigns. Here is everything you need to know about Microsites.

Distinctions Between Microsites and Websites

A company’s website is the “face” of the business. It serves as the company’s information hub and usually includes all the information that stakeholders need to have access to at all times such as details on its products or services, contact and location information, history, vision, mission, etc.

Websites are updated regularly, have many different pages, and stay online with the same URL for as long as the company exists.

Websites are not designed to promote individual products, services, events, and so on.

Microsites in contrast are much smaller mini-sites (between 1-4 pages) with a much narrower focus. In most cases, they are created temporarily with a specific goal in mind such as the launch of a new product or service.

The design, layout, content, and media on a microsite normally differ significantly from the host company’s website. Microsites are not subdomains and operate completely independently from their host company’s website. Microsites are very heavy on keyword-specific content and have much less functionality than websites.

What are Microsites Used For?

Microsites are used as experimental or alternative content marketing tools by businesses to reach a specific audience through customized, information-rich, and interactive web pages. They are designed to educate a segment of the host company’s target audience in an isolated online space, away from the noise of the rest of their operations.

Let’s use the example of Apple launching a new, affordable phone called “iPhone Infinity”. They have created this phone to tap into the cheaper smartphone market. Apple may create a Microsite under the URL, www.launchofiphoneinfinity.com. Under this URL, they create three pages for the three different phone models they will launch under that name, and, whilst keeping their iconic apple logo on the microsite, they may be much more creative with their content, color schemes, and themes.

These would only be temporary pages that stay live for three months to promote the launch and sales of the new phone. In addition, all the content on this Microsite would only target people interested in the new iPhone infinity.

Although the majority of Microsites are campaign based, they are also sometimes used as a form of media outlet that publishes content on a regular basis. The latter however is slightly more challenging to execute successfully.

Microsite Advantages

While Microsites are a bit complicated to pull off, and they may not necessarily be the right approach for all your marketing campaigns, they do have several amazing advantages if you get them right:

1. Targeted Lead Generation – If we keep the above affordable iPhone example in mind, Apple could run a search engine campaign to promote their Microsite through search phrases such as “affordable iPhone” or “cheap phones.”
2. Easy Campaign Performance Tracking – As any marketing or content management executive will tell you, tracking the success of a marketing campaign across many different platforms is challenging, to say the least. Microsites significantly simplify that process by creating a single site with a single purpose.
3. Increase Brand Awareness Creatively – Because microsites are temporary, many companies use them to showcase their more fun, relaxed side with creative content, media, and videos. This approach can attract a completely new or different segment of the population to your brand.
4. Targeting Audiences Geographically – If Apple was to target consumers in poorer countries where the income-to-cost-of-living ratio is much lower, they could use country-specific URLs or IP-based localization to promote the microsite specifically in those countries.
5. Quick Development & Placement – Because microsites are much smaller than traditional websites, setting them up is much faster.
6. Alleviates Traffic – The kind of promotions and campaigns run on a microsite can attract a lot of web traffic. If you run the campaign on your main site, the additional traffic could slow down or even crash your main site.

Microsite Disadvantages

As with any marketing strategy, microsites do have some limitations and disadvantages:

1. They Can Incur Significant Set-Up Costs – In addition to your main website, every promotional or another microsite you create will cost you money in terms of domain registrations, hosting fees, and development and maintenance costs. All these costs will add up quickly depending on how many microsites you have active at any point in time.
2. They Can Monopolize Traffic – One of the main reasons microsites are used temporarily is because your customer can end up confusing them with your actual site and you can miss out on some much-needed traffic to your main website.
3. Microsite SEO can be difficult – Search Engine Optimization is a lengthy process that does not happen overnight. Depending on the length of your microsite campaign, you most likely won’t get the microsites optimized for search engines by the time the campaign is over.
4. They Can Confuse Your Customers – If your customers don’t understand the concept of temporary pages or microsites, they may confuse the microsite for your main site.
5. Microsites Require Expertise To Execute Successfully – The content and media used in microsites must be interactive and tailored exactly to its intended audience which requires a unique skill set. For this reason, most companies outsource this process.
6. Risks Damaging Brand Reputation – Microsites generally deviate significantly from their host company’s usual messaging, look, and overall branding feel. For some companies, this has led to some reputational damage.

Two Great Microsite Examples

1: My Creative Types – Adobe

By far one of the top-performing microsites launched in recent times is the one by Adobe called My Creative Types which demonstrates Adobe’s ability to connect with its audience in a fun, engaging, and interactive way.

The microsite is visually stunning and allows visitors to answer 15 questions to assess creative preferences and personalities. Visitors can download their results and share them on social media.

2: CommUtah – The American Cycling Association

The American Cycling Association developed a microsite to tell the inspirational story of the “The Commute Crew” who completed one of the most challenging cycling endeavours yet.

The site educates visitors on the treacherous eight-day 421-mile bike ride that stretches from Salt Lake City to Moab in the state of Utah.

Microsites and SEO

If you were hoping to improve the SEO and ranking of your main website through links on your microsite, the reality is that it, unfortunately, won’t work and can be counterproductive.

Google and other search engines penalize companies that create a network of websites for the sole purpose of backlinking, and you need to be very careful linking too many microsites together. In addition, your ranking may drop if you use duplicate content on your main site and on one or more of your microsites.

A microsite should not be created with the goal of getting the site optimized for search engines as this can take anywhere between six and twelve months.

SEO also requires a long-term investment in original, high-quality content, which is the opposite purpose of a microsite.

Checklist For Developing an Outstanding Microsite

Whether you want to create a microsite to educate your customers on some of your existing products or services, tap into new markets, or launch a new product or service, the following few points can help guide you in developing a high-quality and engaging microsite:

• Clearly define the purpose and timeframe of your microsite. Ask yourself what exactly you want to achieve and what return on investment you expect.
• Define the target audience, gather demographic information, and do research on how they access and digest information. This can help you build your content around the type of keywords or phrases they might use to get them to your microsite.
• Make sure you only publish 100% original content on your microsite. Do not repurpose any content on your main site for the microsite.
• Ensure that you incorporate powerful and captivating visual assets and have an engaging/interactive element such as a game or questionnaire.
• Keep your microsite small with no more than four pages.
• Never deviate too far from your brand guidelines as you can end up damaging your corporate identity.
• Employ the same website development best practices wherever possible for your microsite.
• Keep your content focussed on the purpose of the microsite.

Summing it Up

Whether you love or hate them, Microsites have gained a lot of momentum recently. The reason? Microsites greatly simplify campaign development and management, and if you get them right, their return on investment can be astronomical. It may be a good idea to consult a writing agency when developing your specialized content to give you best chance of success.

When you think of psychology, content marketing probably does not immediately come to mind.

Believe it or not, though, content marketers have a great understanding of the mind and how to influence it. They do this by ethically applying complex psychological principles into actionable steps that result in great user experiences and well-informed decisions.

Psychology as a scientific discipline emerged in 1879 with the founding of Wundt’s laboratory in Leipzig, Germany. Wundt’s experimental and introspective work focused on the study of adult minds and behavior.

Today, the field of psychology has developed into about 15 major branches, including clinical, industrial, experimental, and cognitive psychology, to name a few.

The application of psychological principles in content marketing strategies dates back as far as 1896 when experimental psychologists started looking at the mental processes involved in advertising.

Without going into overwhelming scientific detail, this article will first explore some of the most influential contemporary psychological theories pertaining to content marketing.

Lastly, we will explore the psychology behind disclosing pricing information on websites and using headings, powerful openings, design elements, white space, and persuasive calls to action.

Psychological Theories That Supercharge Content

Marketing is the heartbeat of any business, but it is becoming ever more challenging to get the right message to the right person with the plethora of content published online daily.

One of the best ways to overcome this problem is to speak directly to the minds of your target audience. The following psychological theories do just that.

1.  Social Proof

Social proof theory maintains that people sometimes imitate other individuals’ behavior in situations where they are unsure of the correct social protocols.

The imitators assume that the individuals whose behavior they adopt or copy have more information about the situation than they do, and therefore they follow the lead instead of analyzing the situation to make their own informed decisions.

Social proof theory is particularly interesting in relation to buying decisions. Let’s use the example of a restaurant or coffee shop with a long queue going out the door. People walking by the establishment almost always assume that whatever is being sold must be great to attract such a crowd.

The same principles can be applied strategically to a content marketing campaign. For instance, many content marketers will display the number of shares or likes a blog post has gotten. Readers are far more likely to share or comment when they see others adopting the behavior first.

2.  Frequency Illusion

Also known as the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon, frequency illusion refers to a type of cognitive bias where an error in thinking occurs while processing and interpreting information.

This relates specifically to situations where something we have recently noticed for the first time seems to keep reappearing everywhere.

Content marketers apply frequency illusion principles to grow brand awareness by using reinforcing, multi-platform content marketing campaigns.

An example would be if a potential customer sees your brand on social media for the first time, and then on TV soon after for the second time. Through this multi-platform campaign, you have created a reinforcing “frequency Illusion” effect, which, in essence, reinforces your brand.

3.  Reciprocity

Reciprocity theory in social psychology suggests that we give back what we receive from others in social situations. In other words, if we meet someone new who is friendly and welcoming towards us, in most cases, we reciprocate with the same behaviors towards them.

The same is true if we are met with unfriendly or aggressive behavior, where our responses may be even more extreme.

This has profound implications for any content marketing strategy. First, you never want to come across as anything other than accommodating, friendly, and welcoming toward any existing or potential customers in your content marketing campaigns because you will only be met with reciprocal hostility.

Second, the saying “samples equal sales” is rooted in reciprocity theory, which is why so many businesses embrace the practice of giving away free gifts or samples in their marketing campaigns.

Finally, reciprocity theory is what underpins a blog, which is, in essence, free, insightful, high-quality information we provide to our audiences. A blog should not serve as a sales pitch, but rather as an information tool that answers questions or solves problems. The better you apply reciprocity theory to your blog content, the more trust and authority you build with your audience.

4.  Scarcity

Scarcity theory suggests that we highly value something we consider to be rare, like gold for instance, over something that is more abundant, like iron or silica. In economics, this concept is referred to as supply and demand.

Some businesses, unfortunately, use scarcity theory unethically to drive sales by saying something like “only one left in stock” when they actually have no shortage.

Scarcity theory can and should be used in a nonexploitative way, such as running a limited-time offer on one of your products or services. Information can also be scarce, so publishing a unique white paper or case study can boost your content marketing strategy.

When asked if the fear of missing out sometimes drives him to impulse buying, The Writers For Hire copywriter Steve Epperson said:

“Yes, it’s the same as FOMO trading in the stock market (FOMO is “fear of missing out”). When you see a once-in-a-lifetime bargain, you feel compelled to go for it. The same thing happens to consumers. If you can convince them that this great offer is going to end soon, they will buy for fear that they will miss out later. The trick is to not overuse the old, tired techniques of the past, including timers, special offers, and the excessive use of takeaway marketing. Consumers in 2023 already know these techniques well, so it may be time to move on, or at least not overdo it.”

5.  Paradox of Choice

Offering a wide range of choices in your product or service is great, but research suggests that there is actually a point of saturation.

This is called the paradox of choice.

The paradox of choice suggests that a limited range of choices reduces shopper anxiety.

When you design your content marketing campaign, be sure not to overwhelm your customer with too many choices and information at once. Consider concentrating on a maximum of three choices and calls to action. 

6.  The Decoy Effect

The decoy effect is a pricing and product comparison strategy. When we are faced with two product choices, a third, less attractive choice (the decoy) is introduced to alter our perceptions of the more expensive first two choices.

Imagine you have a choice between a small- and a large-sized soda at the cinema. The small is priced at $5.00 and the large at $6.00. Then, you are offered another option: a medium size priced at $5.50, and you see that there is only a $0.50 difference between the medium and the large, so you opt for the large. That is how the decoy effect works. It is used all the time to get buyers to spend more money.

7.  The Endowment Effect

The endowment effect, also referred to as the “ownership effect,” suggests that people value items they personally own much more than they would if the item did not belong to them.

This psychological effect has significant implications for content marketing. If you already have a large customer base that owns your products, your content should reinforce that sense of ownership to encourage any upgrades or new purchases.

Content that focuses on attracting new customers should include testimonies and reviews of happy customers who own your products.

8.  Loss Aversion

Loss aversion suggests that the emotional trauma of losing something is twice as powerful as the sense of pleasure we get from gaining something. We are hardwired to avoid loss, whether that be your phone, your wallet, or even someone close to you.

Loss aversion is applied in marketing by providing something for free and then taking it away, such as a premium streaming subscription, for instance. If we had that unlimited streaming service for 30 days and then lost it, loss aversion could kick in and motivate us to sign up for a paid subscription.

9.  Information-Gap Theory

Developed by George Loewenstein, information-gap theory is essentially human curiosity that is triggered when there is a gap between what people know and what they want to know.

This is a powerful tool used in content marketing: creating content gaps with enticing bits of information before revealing substantial information to encourage further reading. In other words, you need to create a sense of curiosity in your audience and then satisfy that curiosity with valuable information.

10. Mere Exposure Effect

The mere exposure effect suggests that we respond more positively to any stimuli we are familiar with. In lay terms, when you go to an event where you only know a couple of people, you are more likely to walk over and talk to them, rather than introduce yourself and strike up conversations with complete strangers.

In marketing, mere exposure principles are used to cultivate positive feelings and associations with a brand by launching large-scale saturation content marketing campaigns. The more familiar someone is with your brand, the more they trust it.

11. Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is when people look for any information that supports an idea or a theory they have about something, and completely ignore the facts or information that disproves their theory. In other words, we sometimes believe something to be true because we want it to be true.

Let’s say you want to buy a new smartphone but the price is slightly above your budget. You may start finding all sorts of reasons why you need that specific phone, rationalizing spending the extra money.

In marketing, a play on confirmation bias can be very effective. Let’s say your mind was about 80% made up to buy the new phone, and then you see the five-star reviews left by over 2,000 customers or a banner ad that says, “over 5,000 happy phone users to date.” Seeing these statistics may just be the final motivator for you to get out your credit card and punch in those digits.

Things to Consider When Designing Your Website

As you can see, psychology plays a huge role in the decisions we make every day. To get the most out of your website, there are six major elements you should keep in mind.

1. Disclosed Pricing

There are many debates about disclosing the prices for your products or services on your website. Depending on the nature of your products or services, it may not always be possible, particularly if your products or services are customized for each client.

But imagine walking into a department store that has no prices on any of its merchandise. Would anyone just pick up an item and pay whatever the cashier asks them to pay?

The overarching consensus is that you could actually lose clients without at least an indication of what your products or services cost, even if they are only estimates.

Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of disclosing your prices on your website:

Advantages

• Builds trust. Many people simply refuse to do business with companies that are not forthcoming with their pricing structures. People also find it a nuisance to have to inquire about the price and then have an awkward conversation about the price being too high or too low.
• Avoids perceptions of deceit. Many people believe that if you have reason to hide your prices, you have reason to hide something else.
• Provides clarity on affordability. Undisclosed prices may cultivate beliefs that your customers can’t afford your products.
• Saves time and resources. Disclosed prices ensure that you only get inquiries from serious customers who feel that your prices are in line with their budgets. Otherwise, you may end up having to employ people to deal with unviable inquiries all day.
• Starts the business relationship on the same page. When a customer inquires with “We just had a look at your prices,” the conversation from there is much easier because they are on the same page as you regarding your prices.
• Attracts the customers you want. By displaying your prices, you make it clear what demographic you are targeting.
• Is good for SEO. People search for the costs of things more often than you think and cost-related keywords are very valuable.

Disadvantages

• Perception of zero flexibility. Having fixed prices on your website can create the perception that you are not open to negotiating your prices.
• Competitors. Most companies use the excuse that they don’t want their competitors to know what they charge because they may undercut their prices. The truth is that your competitors most likely already know what you charge.
• Lost opportunities. Disclosed prices will inevitably lead to some customers not inquiring because your prices may not be right for them, but you would still lose that customer even if they inquired without the price. If your prices are market-related and you offer good value for money, your online prices will generate a good business stream.

2. Use of Headings

When it comes to headline psychology, there are several great approaches to catching your reader’s attention:

1. The power of surprise. Using a heading that surprises people activates the pleasure centers in their brains and makes for a much more stimulating read.
2. Questions. Using questions in your headings instead of statements triggers curiosity.
3. Negatives. Most articles use positive superlatives such as “the greatest” or “biggest” very effectively. Although caution is advised here, using a negative superlative such as “worst” can be even more effective in your headings.
4. “How To.” People are by nature curious creatures and are always looking to learn something new.
5. Numbers. Numbers help by providing clarity and breaking the article down into more easily digestible steps.
6. Personal references. Using “You” in a heading makes the content personal and relatable.
7. Statistical facts. A heading that reads “25 000 likes in the first minute” immediately grabs your attention.

When asked what types of headings are effective at grabbing a reader’s attention, Epperson says:

“I know that conventional copywriting tells us to use strong adjectives and superlative statements. Unfortunately, that does not work well in B2B markets. For example, if your target audience is a top-level executive at Nike©, you would not lead with “Best System Ever for Lead Generation.” Instead, your headline should be something like “10 New Lead Generators For Today’s Retailer.” For B2C audiences, you can get away with a strong, specific headline, but keep in mind that you run the risk of not being able to follow through on the headline’s claim (i.e., the Pepsi/Harrier jet commercial).

3. Powerful Opening Lines

The key behind any great opening line is its ability to capture the interest and attention of the reader. The following is a great guide to follow:

• Put your readers in the story.
• Pose a question or two.
• Present an interesting fact or figure.
• Use a powerful quote.
• Offer an anecdote.
• Establish a commonality with your readers, like a problem everyone has faced at one point.

Epperson says:

“It is imperative for the opening line to grab the reader’s attention. Using statistics in an opening line is very effective.”

4. Great Designs and Visual Assets

There are many reasons content marketing campaigns rely heavily on a combination of both written content and visual assets.

Humans love color. It’s as simple as that. But the concept of color is one of the strangest and most complex phenomena known to man. Color is in fact nothing more than an illusion that exists in our minds. The objects we see in our daily lives in fact have no color; we give them color through a complex neurological process called color constancy. Britanica.com provides further insights:

“When a person views an opaque colored object, it is only the light reflected from the object that can activate the visual process in the eye and brain. Because different illuminants have different spectral energy distributions, a given object in these illuminations will reflect different energy distributions.”

One of the main reasons visual aids are so effective in content marketing is that they allow us to process information much faster.

Color also has a unique way of instantly influencing our emotions, and it can encourage us to read text.

To illustrate just how important color is to us, let’s use the example of farm-raised salmon. While wild salmon get their reddish-orange color from underwater plants and algae, a pigment called astaxanthin is added to farmed salmon feed to imitate the natural color of wild salmon; otherwise, no one would buy and eat farmed salmon.

Using visual assets in your content marketing campaigns drives engagements and it allows your audience to remember you and your brand.

5. White Space, Lists, and Bold Text

White space is simply the blank areas between other elements on your web pages. If used correctly, it can significantly improve the quality and user experience of your site by:

• Improving readability
• Creating balance
• Highlighting what is important
• Making the site more aesthetically pleasing
• Encouraging interactions
• Improving focus

Using lists and bold text in content marketing is not a new practice but is very effective. Lists and bold text help us to group and organize information in a structured way that is easier to consume. They also have many other benefits     :

• Lists are scannable, which makes for a quick read.
• Lists look neat.
• People like linking to lists.
• Lists are more persuasive.
• Lists attract return visitors.
• Lists encourage more engagement.
• Lists help organize content hierarchically.

When you discover a fantastic article, you naturally want to share it with all your friends. However, by posting a long-form editorial on a heavy subject, you are not likely to get many interactions. Many people simply don’t have the time to read something so in-depth.

If you were to post a listicle on the same subject, your chances to get some comments and shares increase substantially. Your friends on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social networks can immediately get a good idea of how long the article is from the numbers listed, which in most cases leads them to read the entire listicle.

Let’s use the example of two recipes, one listing all the ingredients throughout a lengthy 2,000-word article, and one listing all the ingredients and methods at the top or bottom of the article. When you are cooking, you need the information quickly, meaning you are more likely to opt for the second recipe. The ease of the list in the second recipe also means you will likely return to that recipe when you want to cook that dish again.

Similar to lists, bold text stands out and tells the reader what is important on the page, greatly improving the reading experience for someone who wants the key information quickly.

6. CTA Principles

Any great content marketing campaign will employ enticing calls to action (CTAs) that convert visitors into leads. Calls to action tell site visitors what they need to do if they want to engage. The more persuasive your CTAs, the higher your conversion rates:

1. Make your CTAs attention-grabbing. A poor CTA won’t get noticed; be creative.
2. Place CTAs logically in your content. Use CTAs at the end of your content, or anywhere that makes logical sense.
3. Use action verbs. Find the most compelling keywords to use in your CTAs such as “Discover,” “Compare Prices,” or “Apply Today.”
4. Include a picture if possible. We love visual aids and including these in your CTAs can be very effective.
5. Split test. A split test allows marketers to compare the efficacy and performance of two different web pages. By using the split test, you can use two different CTAs with your audience to see which performs better.

A Final Word

Psychological principles play a huge role in shaping how we, as humans, make decisions about the things we purchase and services we use.

Having even just a broad understanding of the mechanisms that drive human engagement with content can help you develop effective collateral with a much higher return on investment.

The marketing game has changed.  In the past, it was crucial to get your name and brand identity out there.  Essential ingredients of a content marketing campaign were to keep your visibility high in social media, and to provide lots of information for your clients in your blogs and emails.

In other words, information flowed in one direction, without much active engagement by customers or potential clients.

Nowadays, if you’re going to attract and keep your clients’ attention, you need to develop a relationship with them that goes beyond the products or services you offer.

What is interactive content marketing?

As the name suggests, the main purpose of interactive content marketing is to encourage current and potential customers to interact with your brand. 

Interactive marketing is a customer-oriented approach to marketing that engages the client and requires their participation.

Interactive marketing is basically a campaign that uses a “Call to Action” to invite a response, e.g., to “get a free quote” or “download a free e-book.” 

This two-way dialogue is what makes the marketing process so much more dynamic and relevant than the one-way marketing of the past.

How has digital marketing changed over the past 10 to15 years?

To find out exactly how digital marketing has changed over the past 10 to15 years, we interviewed Stacy Mantle, Founder and CEO of AZ Soapworks LLC.  Here’s what she had to say:

“Digital marketing is dramatically different from just a few years ago. In the past, we would put out our information in blog posts and do a single post on Facebook.  These days, we have to write and promote these blog posts (and all interactive media) through multiple social media platforms.”

“Since all social media has become a ‘pay to play’ environment, that means we also need to heavily promote our posts to ensure they are seen. It’s a lot of work to get word out!”

TWFH: “How have you implemented interactive content marketing in building your business?“

Ms. Mantle: “We have a private Facebook group of product testers who try our products and send feedback.  They are ‘rewarded’ with free products to use!  We also post personality quizzes on Instagram that incorporate a kind of ‘augmented reality,’ i.e., where people can observe products while they’re being made and purchase in advance.”

TWFH: “How do you incorporate infographics as part of your interactive content marketing campaigns?“

Ms. Mantle: “Infographics are great tools but are more of a challenge to create. Essentially, within a visual (e.g., a flowchart), we embed a ‘click-through’ for different options a customer can choose.  For example, ‘How often do you wash your hair?’, will lead to another series of questions, leading the client to the ideal product for their particular situation.  At the same time, we get more information about that client.”

TWFH: “Why do you strive to increase customer engagement?“

Ms. Mantle: “Customers have approximately 8 seconds of attention span.  The quicker we can grab them, the faster we get an order.  Our goal is three-fold:  to solve a customer’s problem, to entertain them, and to educate them.”

“We have learned the hard way that it’s necessary to invest in marketing, and these days especially in interactive content marketing, in order to get the word out and to engage with our client base.”

How can implementing interactive content marketing help a business? 

Creating interactive content leads to more engagement, more leads, and more loyalty from your customers.

Customers are more willing to share their information with companies that go the extra mile to produce content that is genuinely helpful and engaging.

Through this type of interaction, you can create a valuable experience for the consumers, which is an added value beyond the purchase process.

You can ask their opinions and encourage them to feel as if they’re a part of the business. You can also offer them an educational or recreational moment through which you can improve the brand image.

The type of interaction you choose will depend on your objective and the means used to achieve it.

Here are some ways interactive content marketing can help:

• Encourages customer interaction with your brand.  Interactive content marketing practices have proven to be very effective at increasing customer engagement.  Particularly with eCommerce businesses, customer loyalty and conversion rates are also improved, thereby increasing revenue.

• Obtains quality information about customers.  The basis of interactive content marketing lies in the ability to provide engaging actions (i.e., clicks or quiz responses) to customers and then develop marketing strategies based on those actions. This means that an action taken by a consumer should trigger a certain marketing initiative on the part of your brand.

• Increases chances of meeting customer needs.  When your customer shows an interest in a product or service, you have the ability to respond to them.  And for any feedback from a current or potential customer, there can be a content marketing reaction from the brand.

• Allows businesses to deliver interesting and immersive browsing and shopping experiences to customers.   With infographics, quizzes, questionnaires, and other educational experiences delivered to clients, they remain engaged, entertained, and loyal to your brand.

How can your business incorporate more interactive content into your marketing strategy?

Much has been written about interactive content marketing in the past few years. If done correctly, it can help grow your business and add revenue to your bottom line. 

But very little has been written about how to develop the underlying content marketing strategy and content creation that is crucial to your success.

Any tactic you can use to elicit a response from a customer can be considered interactive content marketing. You’ve likely been drawn in by some of these yourself, whether on social media or during an online shopping experience.

Below are just a few examples to consider for your campaign:

1. Contests, giveaways, and new-customer discounts.  Whether you offer a product or service, you can increase brand loyalty by providing an exclusive opportunity for a few “lucky” customers. Giveaways can generate potential leads when you offer your audience a chance to win an expensive or in-demand item.  For prospective customers, offering a one-time discount can trigger a first-time purchase.
2. Quizzes and questionnaires.  If you want to learn what your customers want, one of the most valuable tools available nowadays is the ability to ask your customers directly about your products and services.  Quizzes and questionnaires facilitate data collection through questions structured to arouse interest and generate feedback. 
3. Email marketing, blogs, and newsletters.  For keeping your customers captivated and engaged, emails, newsletters, and blog posts are surprisingly effective tools for all businesses, regardless of size.  Nonprofits use them to get the word out on everything from upcoming events to fundraising.  Businesses use them to build their brands with interesting and informative content creation.  Adding a link sharable to social media multiplies the effectiveness of these tools.
4. Polls and surveys.  Polls and surveys are probably the simplest and oldest form of interactive marketing.  They’re a great way to get in touch with your audience but, despite their simplicity, you can also use them to build a genuine connection with your customers.  The easiest way to use polls and surveys is to ask your audience for opinions about your product, service, or content.  Often, businesses will offer a reward or discount coupon for participating in a marketing survey.
5. Social media posts.  According to the Content Marketing Institute, more than half the world (58.4%) uses social media.  And on any given day, people spend an average of two hours and 27 minutes on those platforms.  Your posts can be informative, contain a survey, give a discount on a new product, or offer many other options that encourage customer interaction. 
6. Interactive infographics.  Interactive infographics are similar to traditional infographics but have an element of interactivity, such as animation effects triggered by the reader’s clicking and scrolling.  If you have a lot of information and want to tell a good story, interactive infographics are the perfect vehicle, irresistibly enticing clients to explore your content.
7. Calculators.  Interactive calculators are online tools that require visitors to input data into a form in order to get an instant calculated answer.  These answers are calculated based on custom formulas defined by your business.  For example, a client could calculate interest on a mortgage loan, or measure body mass index for a diet plan, or set a budget for a home improvement project.  The client is able to get their answer and your business gathers some data about that client.

How can a writing agency help?

The marketing game has changed: The days of just publishing blogs and social posts and calling it a day are long behind us. 

But given all the different online marketing venues and platforms that exist today, it may seem a daunting task to develop a comprehensive interactive content marketing strategy from scratch.

What might be in the way of creating the content you need?  Content creation requires focus and expertise.  Perhaps you don’t have the skilled staff or enough time to devote.  Or maybe you or your team don’t know what to write to engage your audience.

Hiring a writing agency could lift this burden and rapidly increase your customer engagement, provide more leads and sales, and earn more loyalty from your clients.

Professional writing agencies have the writers, researchers, and expertise needed to produce all forms of interactive content marketing and can also assist with planning your overall marketing strategy.

Final Thoughts

Creating interactive content leads to more engagement, more leads, and more loyalty from your customers. Customers are more willing to share their information with companies that go the extra mile to produce content that is genuinely helpful and engaging.

When you hire a writing agency, you can rest assured that communications with your clients will be educational and entertaining — and most importantly, engaging. 

If you would like to learn more about how to hire a writing agency to create and help implement an interactive content marketing strategy for your organization, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our experts.

All great writing starts with understanding the target audience. Marketing guru David Ogilvy once remarked: “Don’t just create content to get credit for being clever. Create content that will be helpful, insightful, or interesting for your target audience.”

Ogilvy was right.

Reaching one’s target audience is about delivering useful and relevant content. Content creators trying to sound smart often alienate their target audience by delivering content disconnected from the target audience’s interests.

Hitting the mark requires careful attention to the target audience’s interests, needs, background, education level, and aims; in short, everything. Reaching target audiences is an exercise in discovery. That is why this discussion focuses on six ways authors can reach their intended audience.

Importance of Understanding the Target Audience

Connecting with a target audience catapults effective writing to the next level.

Striking a chord with audiences allows authors to get their message to the right readers. Nevertheless, the importance of reaching the target goes beyond understanding how they tick.

Here are four key reasons why understanding the target audience is crucial to successful writing.

Identify unmet needs.

Getting inside the target audience’s minds allows authors and content creators to spot unaddressed or under-addressed areas.

For instance, specific audiences may be craving to read about a trending topic. This knowledge allows content creators to focus on delivering what the intended audience truly wants. In doing so, authors can kickstart their financial incentives while boosting the content’s visibility.

Capture the audience’s attention.

There is nothing more counterproductive than publishing lackluster content. Please bear in mind the issue does not lie in the content itself. Unfortunately, top-quality content may fall flat since it does not reach the right audience. That is why understanding the target audience’s thoughts is crucial in capturing their attention. When content hits the mark, it resonates with the audiences in a deeply meaningful way.

For example, a personal narrative about surviving a serious illness can easily resonate with other survivors and their family members. The narrative must, therefore, contain language, information, and insights relevant to the readers.

Establish audience segments.

A common mistake is to paint with a broad brush. While some publications may have mass appeal, most nonfiction materials cater to specific market niches. Therefore, understanding the target audience allows content creators and publishers to cater to the proper segments.

For instance, a sports publication covering a wide range of sports divides its content into specific sports. In doing so, fans of certain sports know what content to consume. This segmentation allows audiences to consume the content and information that is truly relevant to them.

Allocate resources.

Resources are scarce. Staff writing time, publishing space, and audience attention are examples of key considerations for resource allocation. Gaining useful insights into the target audience allows content creators to focus their resources on what truly matters.

For instance, a gardening magazine focuses on producing content related to growing vegetables indoors during winter. This decision allows content creators and publishers to allocate publishing space to material readers want to consume at that point in time.

Ultimately, understanding the nuts and bolts of a target audience is crucial. However, the question remains: “How can content creators and publishers get to know their target audience?”

The answer to that question is broken up into six parts.

6 Ways to Understand the Target Audience

The following strategies can greatly enhance authors’ and publishers’ understanding of their target audience.

1. Using Market Research to Gain Insights Into the Target Audience

Market research is a staple of the advertising industry. Advertisers rely heavily on market research to design campaigns that click with their target audience. After all, advertisers want to sell products and services.

It makes sense, therefore, to focus on gaining insights into what makes the intended audience click.

Market research includes a number of tools, such as demographic information, income distribution, geographical location, and consumption patterns.

These information types are generally available via government statistics and academic research. Using them can greatly enhance a publication’s success.

Consider this situation:

A newspaper wants to know who reads print newspapers nowadays. The data shows that older demographics purchase print newspapers in predominantly urban areas. These folks have an above-average income level and financial position.

The big question now is: “What content do readers want to consume?”

There is a highly effective way of gaining this knowledge: surveys.

Authors and publishers can conduct surveys to boost their understanding of the target audience. However, a good rule of thumb is to find out if survey information is already available. Purchasing survey data can facilitate getting to know the target audience.

2. Identifying Target Audience Wants and Needs

Spotting what the target audience wants boils down to knowing what content they want to consume. Fortunately, finding out what the target audience wants and needs is much easier than one might believe.

The most effective way is to identify what the target audience is asking.

While surveys are effective, they can take time and become costly. A solid alternative to surveys is social media. Content creators and publishers have increasingly turned to social media as a way to connect with the target audience.

Social media allows content creators to ask their target audience, simply, what content they want. Please remember to pay attention to the details. Readers are more than willing to voice their opinions and concerns when given the opportunity. As a result, paying attention to detail can reveal a plethora of useful insights.

For instance, an online fashion publication frequently conducts opinion polls on social media to collect information for upcoming issues. The polls are short but allow users to include any details they wish. To sweeten the deal, participants enter sweepstakes for prizes and rewards.

3. Designing Tailor-Made Campaigns

One of the outcomes of understanding the target audience is designing tailor-made campaigns. Nevertheless, custom campaigns can also help provide more insight into the target audience’s thoughts.

There is a key component to this approach: collecting feedback.

Feedback allows content creators to visualize what worked and what did not. Doing so provides first-hand data on what the audience wants and how they want it delivered.

Consider this example:

A print magazine plans to move to a predominantly digital format. However, the publisher wants to know if this move will resonate with their readers. So, the magazine runs a series of ads in their print publication offering a free three-month digital subscription. Readers are enticed to sign up to get the promotion and receive access to bonus online content.

The publisher plans to measure the campaign’s success by measuring the number of newly registered users and how many continue their subscriptions following the three-month trial.

Upon renewal, subscribers are asked to provide feedback indicating specifically why they decided to renew their subscription.

Similarly, subscribers deciding to opt out are asked to provide feedback regarding their decision.

The publisher takes the data to determine if moving to a fully digital approach is feasible. Moreover, the publisher can determine what content has worked best.

Please remember that using tailor-made campaigns can provide a great deal of insight into the target audience. Customized actions serve testing purposes. At the end of the day, authors and publishers can pinpoint what works and what does not.

4. Creating Specialized Campaigns

Using customized campaigns for testing purposes is a highly effective way of obtaining highly relevant data. However, some campaigns may be too broad, particularly when dealing with specific market segments.

Niche publications, those catering to very specific audiences, may need to resort to specialized campaigns.

A specialized campaign focuses on individual market segments. These segments may be quite small but highly profitable. Therefore, it pays to get a deeper appreciation of what makes these segments tick.

Consider this situation:

A trade publication targets C-suite executives in the tech sector. This highly specialized niche segment represents a lucrative opportunity. So, the publication wants to test a new bulletin service aimed at delivering breaking news and analysis.

The publisher plans a blanket approach among C-suite executives within the industry. Executives get a free one-month trial and then a discounted rate for a one-year subscription renewal.

Like the previous campaign example, the publisher wants to know how many executives sign up beyond the trial period. Moreover, the publisher asks for feedback on the bulletin service.

Now, here is an interesting twist to this approach.

The publication asks executives if they would be willing to provide a testimonial. The publisher intends to post the testimonials on its social media handles.

Overall, specialized campaigns intend to home in on highly specific segments. They can help test new products while learning more about what drives the target audience.

5. Knowing Where to Find the Target Audience

One of the most important aspects of understanding the target audience is knowing where to find them. This proposition goes beyond geographic location. It involves identifying their online and offline presence, consumer behavior, and preferred media.

So, the question becomes: “Where can one find the target audience?”

Finding the target audience depends largely on demographics. For instance, older demographics, predominantly, prefer print materials over digital media. In contrast, younger demographics are predominantly digital-based.

A good place to start searching for the right audience is social media.

Nowadays, the number of social media users encompasses a significant chunk of the total population.

Thus, reaching out to audiences on social media allows content creators to spot their targets.

Please bear in mind that physical locations are still highly relevant. Public places such as bars, restaurants, shopping malls, and places of learning can provide opportunities to reach the right audience.

Consider this unconventional approach:

An online sports betting site offers a subscription service. Bettors sign up for the service to access insider information. The site’s publisher launched a campaign in sports bars. The campaign was simple. The publisher placed QR codes on tables so users could scan the codes to get access to betting information. From there, users could choose to subscribe or merely access free content.

This example highlights how looking in the right places can facilitate finding the right audience. More often than not, it takes thinking outside the box to reach the right folks.

6. Building Materials for the Target Audience

The previous points have pinpointed figuring out the target audience’s inner workings. Unfortunately, all of that hard work can be unsuccessful if the content itself does not meet the target audience’s expectations.

Consider this situation:

An insurance company uses a corporate blog to provide product and service information. Each blog post aims to present a scenario in which insurance is highly useful. Consequently, the material must match the target audience’s expectations.

The target audience comprises working-age adults, mostly parents, who want to protect their assets and families. They mainly work full-time jobs plus have family responsibilities at home. As a result, they do not have much time to spare. So, the insurer runs a series of short-form blog posts, between 500 and 1,000 words, to provide specific information. At the end of each post, readers are prompted to contact a service representative for more information.

This approach works well, considering the target audience’s specific circumstances. In contrast, going with a long-form blog, with posts upwards of 3,000 words, may become too long for busy people to read.

Ultimately, designing the right materials for the right audience can become an unbeatable combination. Above all, feedback allows content creators and publishers to refine ideas to meet their audiences’ expectations continually.

The Final Word

Understanding the target audience is a critical task successful content creators and publishers take seriously. But there’s one extremely important consideration: Audiences change with time. Understanding the target audience also involves understanding how their thoughts, needs, and wants can change.

Consequently, ongoing research into understanding the target audience provides critical intelligence on how to proceed moving forward. Staying on top of shifting interests and ideas significantly contributes to successful content and materials.

Undoubtedly, understanding the target audience is an ongoing endeavor content creators must strive to perfect in order to maximize the impact of their content marketing campaigns.